Method and apparatus for reducing liquid pressure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11655914-B2
Application number	US-201716336637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2016
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

A method of reducing the pressure of a liquid includes the steps of providing a conduit containing a packing material, such that a large number of small passages are formed in the packing material, and passing the liquid through the conduit and the packing material. The amount of packing material through which the liquid flows can be varied to vary the pressure drop experienced by the liquid passing through the packing material. The reduction in pressure achieved may be stepwise (discrete) or continuous. The method may be used to reduce the pressure of an aqueous polymer solution for use in a polymer flood technique for oil extraction, and allows the pressure to be reduced without damage to the polymer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pressure reducing device, including:
a conduit, a first region of which is filled with packing material, such that a large number of small passages are formed in the packing material, and a second region of which contains no packing material;
a liquid duct in fluid communication with the conduit along its length, the liquid duct having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being nearer the second region and the outlet being nearer the first region; and
means for blocking the duct to prevent the flow of liquid along the duct;
wherein the means for blocking the duct can be moved along the duct to vary a distance through which the liquid is directed through the packing material between the inlet and the outlet, thereby varying a pressure drop experienced by the liquid passing through the packing material.

2. A pressure reducing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the means for blocking the duct is a piston slidably disposed within the duct.

3. A pressure reducing device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein means for moving the piston extend along the duct.

4. A pressure reducing device as claimed claim 1 , wherein the conduit is in the form of a tube, and the duct is in the form of a pipe disposed within the tube and coaxial therewith.

5. A pressure reducing device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the pipe which forms the duct is perforated, so that liquid can flow from the pipe into the tube and vice versa.

6. A pressure reducing device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein perforations extend the full length of the pipe.

Assignees

• Equinor Energy As

Inventors

• Rosenkilde Christian
• Müller Patrick Benjamin

Classifications

• E21B21/106

  Valve arrangements outside the borehole, e.g. kelly valves (valves specifically for maintaining circulation of drilling fluid while connecting or disconnecting tubular joints E21B21/019) · CPC title

• B01F25/45

  Mixers in which the materials to be mixed are pressed together through orifices or interstitial spaces, e.g. between beads (B01F25/44 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01F25/4524

  the components being pressed through foam-like inserts or through a bed of loose bodies, e.g. balls · CPC title

• F16K47/08 Primary

  for decreasing pressure {or noise level} and having a throttling member separate from the closure member {, e.g. screens, slots, labyrinths} · CPC title

• E21B43/16 Primary

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title